How to use video to sell - even if you don't have a movie camera

People are using the internet to search for how-to videos as well as informative written information (like this article). Although written information tends to be more thorough and more permanent - it stays on the page, while videos are fleeting - videos can grab people's attention and hold them on the page a few seconds longer. Here's how you can have a slice of that cake.

You don't need to film yourself (although that has certain advantages) and you don't even need a camera to make a watchable video. Here's how:

You need a piece of software such as "Powerpoint". That's probably the best known, but not the cheapest. I have something similar in "Open Office" called "Presentation". You create a series of frames or "slides" which are played back in sequence - just like the slide show on your photo watching software.

Spend time working out what you're trying to say. Bear in mind that this not like a page of information, because you can control what people see and the order in which they see it. Just as in a courtship, the sequence is crucial - begin by intriguing the viewer, then get them to like and trust you, then show them how your advice or your product is going to improve their life. Finally persuade them to take action.

Once you've worked out what you want to say, you just type out your message a sentence at a time - about one sentence to each slide, that is - occasionally adding effects (such as words whizzing into place) (if the effect enhances the message). Don't use effects if they don't enhance the message.

Use simple graphics (which are freely available) if they make your point easier to grasp. Don't use them if they're just going to distract or irritate the viewer, though.

When you have assembled all the slides and tested their effectiveness, rehearse reading out the text while the side show plays. The usual technique is to depart from the written text occasionally, in a casual, chatty way, to add a bit of friendliness to the presentation.

When you're word perfect, speak into a microphone and record the audio and visual elements together with screen recording software such as "Cam Studio" which captures what's on the screen.

Edit the presentation (cut off the start and finish, if necessary) on Windows Movie Maker, then save it using "tasks" on the toolbar. The finished presentation can be uploaded directly to Youtube from the Youtube site. Then you can use it on your website, blog, facebook page or whatever you like.

Don't forget to make your "call to action" easy and obvious, otherwise all your efforts will have been in vain!